Uefa Champions League
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UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - 2020/21 SEASON MATCH PRESS KITS City of Manchester Stadium - Manchester Tuesday 3 November 2020 Manchester City FC 21.00CET (20.00 local time) Olympiacos FC Group C - Matchday 3 Last updated 02/11/2020 03:29CET UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE OFFICIAL SPONSORS Match background 2 Legend 5 1 Manchester City FC - Olympiacos FC Tuesday 3 November 2020 - 21.00CET (20.00 local time) Match press kit City of Manchester Stadium, Manchester Match background Manchester City have quickly hit their stride in the 2020/21 UEFA Champions League and will be confident of picking up a third victory in as many Group C games as Olympiacos, on a long run of away defeats, come to north-west England. • Josep Guardiola's side have put three goals past both Porto (3-1) and Marseille (3-0) to take an early lead in the section, with Olympiacos three points behind having snatched a late win at home to Marseille on Matchday 1 before a 2-0 loss at Porto. • This is the first game between the clubs, and only City's third against a Greek team – although Olympiacos have plenty of experience against English opposition. Form guide Manchester City • City finished second in the 2019/20 Premier League, ending the season 18 points behind Liverpool having won the title in each of the two previous campaigns. • Guardiola's side bowed out of the UEFA Champions League at the quarter-final stage for the third season running, going down 3-1 against Lyon in their one-off tie in Lisbon. • City had finished first in their group with 14 points (W4 D2) before seeing off Real Madrid in the last 16, winning 2-1 away and at home against the 13-time European champions. • This is the Cityzens' tenth UEFA Champions League campaign; they have been involved in the group stage every season since 2011/12 and have reached the round of 16 in seven successive campaigns. • City have scored 41 goals in their last 15 UEFA Champions League matches; over the last two seasons their record is W15 D3 L3 with 57 goals scored and 22 conceded. • City are unbeaten in nine home European matches (W8 D1) since a 2-1 loss against Lyon on Matchday 1 in 2018/19. • City's best UEFA Champions League performance was reaching the 2015/16 semi-finals. • City's only previous games against a Greek club came in the 2010/11 UEFA Europa League round of 32, when a 0-0 first-leg draw at Aris Thessaloniki was followed by a 3-0 home win at the City of Manchester Stadium in which Edin Džeko scored twice in the first 12 minutes and Yaya Touré added a third in the second half. Olympiacos • Olympiacos are in the group stage for the 20th time. In 2019/20 they finished third in their section behind eventual champions Bayern München and Tottenham Hotspur, picking up four points to finish one ahead of Crvena zvezda. • Pedro Martins' side then earned a famous win against Arsenal in the UEFA Europa League round of 32, progressing on away goals after a 2-2 aggregate draw (0-1 h, 2-1 a), but came unstuck against another English club in the last 16, losing to Wolves (1-1 h, 0-1 a). • Olympiacos played no fewer than six matches against Premier League opponents in 2019/20. After a 2-2 home draw and 4-2 away defeat – in which they had led 2-0 – against Tottenham in the UEFA Champions League group stage, they claimed that famous knockout success against Arsenal before being eliminated by Wolves. • Having lost on each of their first 12 visits to England, conceding 37 goals and scoring only three, Olympiacos have recorded two wins in their last five trips (D1 L2), the victories both coming at Arsenal. • The Piraeus club made it four UEFA Champions League play-off wins from four ties by defeating Cypriot club Omonoia this season (2-0 h, 0-0 a). • Those results stretched Olympiacos's unbeaten run in European qualifying fixtures to 18 matches (W14 D4), home and away, since a 1-0 loss at Hapoel Beer-Sheva in the 2016/17 UEFA Champions League third qualifying round. • Champions of Greece for the 45th time in 2019/20 – their first title since 2017 – Olympiacos also lifted the Greek Cup for the 28th time to complete their 18th domestic double. • Olympiacos have lost their last eight away games in the UEFA Champions League group stage, since a 1-0 success at Dinamo Zagreb in October 2015; that is one of only two wins in their last 15 such fixtures (D1 L12). • Erythrolefki have lost five of their last seven European away games (W1 D1). Links and trivia • Guardiola's Bayern München defeated Olympiacos twice (3-0 in Piraeus and 4-0 at home) in the 2015/16 UEFA 2 Manchester City FC - Olympiacos FC Tuesday 3 November 2020 - 21.00CET (20.00 local time) Match press kit City of Manchester Stadium, Manchester Champions League group stage, Kostas Fortounis coming on as a substitute in both games. • Pedro Martins' record as coach against English clubs is W1 D4 L3, the sole success that victory at Arsenal in last season's UEFA Europa League round of 32 second leg. • Have played in England: Andreas Bouchalakis (Nottingham Forest 2017/18 loan) Hilal Soudani ((Nottingham Forest 2018/19) Yann M'Vila (Sunderland 2015/16 loan) Rúben Vinagre (Wolves 2017–20) José Holebas (Watford 2015–20) • Pedro Martins coached Ederson at Rio Ave in 2014/15. • Guardiola was Rafinha's coach at Bayern from 2013 to 2016. • Have played together: Ederson & Ahmed Hassan (Rio Ave 2012–15) Rúben Dias & Pêpê (Benfica B, 2015–17) Nathan Aké & José Holebas (Watford, 2015/16) Rodri & Rúben Semedo (Villarreal, 2017/18) Benjamin Mendy & Mathieu Valbuena (Marseille, 2013/14) • Rúben Vinagre was at Monaco between 2015 and 2017, when Mendy and Bernardo Silva were also on the Ligue 1 side's books. • International team-mates: Rúben Dias, João Cancelo, Bernardo Silva & José Sá, Rúben Semedo (Portugal) • Fernandinho and Rafinha played together for Brazil between 2011 and 2017. Latest news Manchester City • City have taken 11 points from their first six Premier League games of the campaign (W3 D2 L1). They were 1-0 winners at Sheffield United on Saturday. • A 1-0 home win against Arsenal on 17 October was Josep Guardiola's 500th as a coach; he has now recorded 175 victories with City. • The Cityzens were beaten 5-2 at home by Leicester on 27 September, the first time they had conceded five goals at home since February 2003 against Arsenal. • It was also the first time a side managed by Guardiola had conceded five goals in a match, in his 686th game as a coach. • The 1-1 draw at Leeds in the following match, on 3 October, meant City had dropped points in successive Premier League games for the first time since December 2018. • City, who have won the English League Cup in each of the last three seasons, will visit Arsenal in the quarter-finals in the week beginning 21 December. • Kyle Walker, who scored the only goal on Saturday at Sheffield United, the club at which he began his career, won his 50th cap for England in the 2-1 UEFA Nations League win against Belgium at Wembley on 11 October. • Riyad Mahrez scored for Algeria in a 2-2 friendly draw against Mexico on 13 October. • Bernardo Silva scored Portugal's opening goal in the 3-0 UEFA Nations League win against Sweden on 14 October, João Cancelo setting up the second goal. • Sergio Agüero returned to action on 17 October having been out since 22 June with a knee injury. The Argentinian's penalty against Porto on Matchday 1 was his first goal since 4 March; that gap of 231 days between strikes is the longest of Agüero's career. • Agüero started at West Ham on 24 October but was withdrawn at half-time with a thigh injury and has not played since. • Gabriel Jesus has not played since picking up a thigh injury at Wolves on 21 September. • Benjamin Mendy (knee) and Fernandinho are both facing a spell on the sidelines, the latter having limped off late on against Porto on Matchday 1. Nathan Aké was an unused substitute on Saturday having missed the previous three games with a groin injury. 3 Manchester City FC - Olympiacos FC Tuesday 3 November 2020 - 21.00CET (20.00 local time) Match press kit City of Manchester Stadium, Manchester Olympiacos • Mathieu Valbuena made his 50th appearance in the UEFA Champions League, group stage to final, on Matchday 2. • Kostas Fortounis's next game in UEFA club competition will be his 50th. • The loss at Porto ended the Red and Whites's seven-game unbeaten start to the season (W5 D2) in all competitions; they had previously conceded only one goal – in a 1-1 away draw against PAS Giannina in the Greek Super League on 4 October. • Olympiacos got back to winning ways with a 2-0 home victory against Apollon Smyrnis on Saturday. • Summer signings Bruma and Pêpê made their Olympiacos debuts at Porto; it was also Pêpê's first UEFA Champions League appearance. Rúben Vinagre and Pêpê played their first games in the Greek Super League on Saturday, when Mohamed Dräger made his Olympiacos debut. • Olympiacos defeated AEK Athens 1-0 in last season's postponed Greek Cup final on 12 September thanks to a Lazar Randjelović goal. • Andreas Bouchalakis was substituted in the first half on Saturday with back pains.